“Emergency Third Rail Power Trip” (Label 51 Records)
By Eleni P. Austin
The Los Angeles music scene has always been as sprawling as the city itself. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Punk bands like X, The Weirdos and The Germs cheerfully coexisted alongside the soulful Power Pop of The Plimsouls and 20/20, the Roots Rock of The Blasters and Los Lobos, the shambolic R&B of Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs and the Noirish Blues/Punk of The Gun Club.
Inspired by the D.I.Y. spirit of Punk, but wholly influenced by a surfeit of ‘60s sounds, like Folk-Rock, Psychedelia, Garage Rock and Baroque Pop, a loose collective of bands emerged during that era. The Bangles, The Dream Syndicate, The Three O’ Clock and The Rain Parade distilled those myriad influences. It was Three O’ Clock front-man Michael Quercio who originally coined the term The Paisley Underground to describe their insular scene. By the time they released their second album, The Bangles broke through commercially. The Dream Syndicate became critical darlings following their 1982 debut. The Three O’ Clock received a lot of ink from the local and national press. But according The Rain Parade guys, their band “couldn’t get arrested in L.A.” Which is ironic, because even as the five-piece took their cues from antecedents like Buffalo Springfield, Big Star and Pink Floyd, they also seemed ahead of their time.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, David Roback began making music at an early age. As kids, he and his brother Steven, started the band Unconscious, with neighbor (and future Bangle) Susanna Hoffs. But it wasn’t until he attended college in Minnesota and roomed with Chicago native Matt PIucci that he began to consider a career in music.
David returned to L.A. with Matt in tow, the pair, who both sang and played guitar, were intent on forming a band. Steven Roback was immediately conscripted for bass duties, the line-up was cemented when Will Glenn (violin and keys) and drummer Eddie Kalwa joined up.
As The Rain Parade, their debut, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip arrived in 1983, via the Indie label, Enigma. Critical consensus was that The Rain Parade was the trippiest of the Paisley bands. But before they could even capitalize on the critical goodwill, the ever-mercurial David left the band, initially to form Clay Allison with ex-Dream Syndicate bassist Kendra Smith (which became better known as Opal). After Kendra acrimoniously quit Opal, he enlisted singer-songwriter Hope Sandoval and finally achieved commercial success as Mazzy Star. (Sadly, David passed away in early 2020)
Meanwhile, The Rain Parade soldiered on as a four-piece, releasing a stunning EP, Explosions In The Glass Palace, signing with a major label, and issuing what would be their swan-song, Crashing Dream, in 1985. The guys amicably parted ways, Steven formed the band Viva Saturn, Matt went on to play with Neil Young’s compadres, Crazy Horse for a bit. Over the years, Will Glenn managed to play with The Three O’ Clock, Viva Saturn and Mazzy Star. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2001.
In 2012, Matt and Steve, along with John Thorman, reconvened as The Rain Parade and played a sold-out show at Café du Nord in San Francisco. A year later, alongside the other members of the Paisley fab four- The Bangles, The Dream Syndicate and The Three O’ Clock, they played a couple benefit shows. That sparked the recording of 3×4, an album that each band playing songs by the other three. In 2023, a musical miracle occurred, The Rain Parade, which now included Stephen Junca on drums and Derek See on guitars, keys and vocals, released the first new Rain Parade music in 38 years. Last Rays Of The Dying Sun was hailed as a triumphant return. Now, to double down on the delight of having this brilliant band back in action, they have sanctioned a reissue of their long-out-of-print debut, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip, on vinyl and CD, released through their record company, Label 51.
The record opens with lysergic kick of “Talking In My Sleep” and “This Can’t Be Today.” On the former, a burst of Rickenbaker sunshine intertwines with drowsy electric riffs, thrummy bass, hypnotic keys and a chunky backbeat. Lyrics limn the soporific sense of feeling awake in a dream: “I know I’m talking in my sleep, sleeping in my dreams, dreaming on my feet, I don’t know what it means, there’s something in my head, but it don’t frighten me.” A twangy, Country-tinged guitar solo lopes across the break, then, as the song winds down, an extended outro coats the track in a psychotropic patina.
The latter flips the script, as shards of guitar collide with fluid bass lines, whistly keys and a shaker beat. Hazy vocals wash over the pastoral melody that belies angsty lyrics like “Doesn’t matter if it’s nice today, I don’t go out much anymore these days, didn’t care for the things you said, but they just don’t seem to leave my head.” Guitars stack and shapeshift on the break as modal keys ride roughshod over a scattershot beat. Awake or asleep, heartache seems to follow.
The Rain Parade consistently pledged their allegiance to seminal ‘60s bands. But they always managed to synthesize influences like Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, The Byrds, Jimi Hendrix and The Velvet Underground, without ever feeling derivative or second-hand. Take “Saturday’s Asylum,” which weds braided guitars, reedy keys and angular bass to a splintered beat. The dreamy vocals accent the song’s whimsicality until the whole enterprise turns on a dime, locking into an arrangement that splits the difference between a bespoke hoedown and a rapid-fire Mazurka.
On “I Look Around” shang-a-lang guitars speed-shift forwards then backwards, anchored by variegated keys, slinky bass lines and a taut martial cadence. The musical mosaic nearly camouflages the lyrics’ bitter kiss-off: “All the things you left, you left behind and wanted back dead or alive, dead or alive/Living like you do on borrowed time, your yesterdays ain’t worth a dime, ain’t got the time.”
The action slows for “Carolyn’s Song.” Tentative acoustic notes wrap around searing electric chords that seem to soar above the clouds. Lyrics address a fragile ex, offering a bit of emotional rescue: “Is it in your head, are you upside down… are you lost, are you sad, did I leave you alone, do you think that I don’t understand what it’s like to feel all alone?”
Then there’s “1 HR ½ Ago,” which is majestically spikey. Swirly guitars connect with coiled bass lines and a tumbling beat. Jabberwocky lyrics like “Half an hour from an an hour ago, from a half an hour from an hour ago, call me early on Saturday, it’s my favorite day, I’ll come out and play, that is only I go to bed so that I can rest, I can leave my head behind,” seem to subscribe to the “live for today” ethos.
The best songs here are the most sure-footed. On the moodily magnificent “Kaleidoscope,” morse-code guitar figures are matched by melodic bass lines, dissonant keys and a zig-zag beat. Allegorical lyrics view life through a prism: “Like a kaleidoscope, revolve and revolving, what I thought was there is now dissolving, I wonder if it matters as the pattern shifts and shatters.” A labyrinthine guitar solo snakes through the break before locking into a surprising Surf guitar groove. Vroom-y bass sinewy keys and sitar feedback usher this trippy track to a close.
“Look At Merri” opens with a deceptively twinkly toy piano intro that unspools like a twisty lullaby. It’s quickly superseded by shadowy keys, serpentine guitar chords, stealthy bass and slipstitch beat. Something of a tender roundelay, the lyrics compare the highs and lows of life to a carousel ride: “That’s just life, it’s down it’s up, it’s on it’s off, but it won’t stop for me, will it stop for you?” A stinging guitar solo follows the final verse, revving up to Raga-fied riffs as the arrangement accelerates, building to a crescendo of mind-blowing guitars.
Finally, there’s “What She’s Done To Your Mind.” If The Rain Parade ever made it to mainstream radio or received airplay on MTV, this song (along with “Talking In My Sleep”), would have surely been a hit, as it arrived just ahead of R.E.M.’s like-minded debut single, “Radio Free Europe.” An autumnal masterpiece, it’s powered by jangly guitars, shimmery keys, buoyant bass and a propulsive beat. The effervescent instrumentation nearly is juxtaposed by sad-sack lyrics that offer a third-person perspective on a devastating break-up: “You may say you’ve not been had, you proclaim your sadness passed you believe it’s all behind, you can’t see what she’s done to your mind.” Ringing guitars bend and ache on the break, weaving a bit of Byrdsy goodness into this aural tapestry.
Back in 1983, the record closed with its most lively and lovable track. “Look Both Ways” opens as though already in progress. A souped-up Garage Rocker, it could easily be mistaken for a forgotten theme song to the Shindig! television series, or a long-lost nugget from the Rolling Stones (circa ’62-’65). Distorto guitars partner with wheezy harmonica, loose-limbed bass and a chugging beat. The lyrics’ traffic light metaphor urges caution when it comes to romance: “Green light, green light, what do you say, I say go but look both ways, thank you red light, yellow light green, now I know what traffic means, oh yeah.” Fuzzy guitars blur the lines on the break, as Farfisa-fied keys dart through the mix. It’s a rollicking finish to what remains a mind-melting masterpiece.
Happily, the cool kids at Label 51 have added an extra disc that features a treasure-trove of bonus tracks. There are alternate takes, 4-track demos and live versions of songs from Emergency Third Rail… like “This Can’t Be Today,” “I Look Around,” “What She’s Done To Your Mind,” “Saturday’s Asylum” and “Look Both Ways.”
Adding to that bounty, the second disc includes a surfeit of unreleased gems. Assorted live cuts include the raucous “First Of September,” the swivel-hipped “Paper Girl,” the ramshackle “Unexpected” and the inscrutable rush of the instrumental, “Speedway,” There’s also a jagged interpretation of Syd Barrett’s “No Good Trying,” along with gossamer grace of “What You’ve Done.” The set closes an incomplete demo of “Time Machine.”
If you missed The Rain Parade the first time around, now is your chance take a deep dive into their oeuvre (yeah, I said oeuvre). Not only have they released new music, 2023’s Last Rays Of The Dying Sun was followed up by the 2024 EP, Last Stop On The Underground, they’re also touring and playing live. But to paraphrase The Sound Of Music, you should start at the very beginning. It’s a very good place to start. Emergency Third Rail Power Trip is the sine qua non of ‘80s Psychedelia.
